Apartheid State 1970s-1980s

Introduction to the Apartheid System

Definition and Background

• Definition of Apartheid:
  • "Apartheid: A policy enforcing racial segregation in South Africa."
  • "Introduced in 1948 through National Party initiatives."
• Establishment and Development:
  • Established formally in the 1940s-50s.
  • Main Objectives:
    • "Regulation through legal and physical segregation of racial communities."
    • Examples: Implementing laws that dictated residential areas, and access to public services like schools and buses.

Key Legislative Measures (1970s-1980s)

• Black Local Authorities Act of 1982:

  • Instituted governance in black urban townships but lacked substantial authority due to colonial oversight.
  • Example: Councils could not enact important changes to budgets or infrastructure.

• Tricameral Parliament of 1983:

  • Offered limited representation as a form of pseudo-inclusion.
  • Example: Core legislative powers remained with the white minority, limiting African participation significantly.

• Relaxation of Pass Laws (mid-1980s):

  • Despite the relaxation of pass laws, blacks continued to experience travel restrictions.
  • Constraints persisted in spite of economic demands.

Map of Bantustans

• Role and Purpose:
  • Specified areas as 'homelands' for blacks, central to apartheid's "separate development" policy.
  • Example conditions: "Bantustans suffered from insufficient infrastructure, leading to economic underdevelopment."

Government Organisation

• Centralised Structure: Apartheid relied on central governance to maintain authority.

  • Centralisation was crucial for enforcing repressive policies and ensuring public compliance.
  infoNote

  State President: A key role with extensive power over governing processes, impacting policy implementation and public administration.

• Tricameral Parliament:

  • House of Assembly: Held exclusively by white representatives, highlighting racial disparities in power.
  • House of Representatives: Comprised of members from the coloured community, but with minimal influence.
  • House of Delegates: Represented the Indian population, similarly with limited impact.

• These divisions ensured political influence was skewed in favour of sustaining racial hierarchies.

• Exclusion of Black South Africans: Their exclusion ensured no legislative influence or representation, perpetuating white minority authority.

Security Apparatus

• South African Police (SAP) and South African Defence Force (SADF):

  • Served as the main enforcers of the apartheid regime's oppressive regulations.
  • Their duties included suppressing significant uprisings and maintaining strict control measures.

• Bureau of State Security (BOSS): Played a central role in intelligence and political suppression.

  infoNote

  BOSS was instrumental in supporting apartheid through espionage, targeting opposition. It conducted notable operations against anti-apartheid figures.

Legal System's Role

• Media Censorship and Judicial Control:
  • Publication Act: Enforced stringent media controls to suppress anti-apartheid narratives.
  • Terrorism Act: Broadly applied to stifle dissent.
  chatImportant

  Judicial Manipulation: Demonstrates systematic oppression and misuse of legal frameworks to silence opposition. Key cases such as the Rivonia Trial illustrate the extreme judicial control applied.

• Political Trials Examples: Noteworthy trials like Nelson Mandela's significantly influenced international perspectives and fuelled domestic resistance.

Social and Cultural Impact of Apartheid

Education System

• Bantu Education Act (1953): Historical Context and Ongoing Effects
  • Key Legislation in Apartheid Education: The Bantu Education Act fashioned an education system intended to enforce racial segregation.
  • Throughout the 1970s-1980s, it controlled the educational trajectory for black South Africans.
  • Inequities and Disparities:
    • Black schools received significantly less funding compared to white schools.
    • Curriculum gaps underscored racial disparities.
    • Research indicates black schools were allotted a fraction of the resources provided to white schools. For instance, contrasts reveal up to $10$ times less funding per student than at white institutions.

Everyday Life

• Housing
  • Segregation Laws & Separate Developments:
    • Townships developed through enforced displacements.

- Policies disrupted family and community life, leading to forced relocations.
- Case Study Example: The narrative of *Sophiatown*, a lively cultural centre, reflects forced removals and their consequences. Residents ended up in far-off, undeveloped locations like Soweto.
- Observe the map to comprehend these enforced township relocations.

• Healthcare

  • Considerable inequalities existed between healthcare provision for black populations and hospitals for whites.
  • Clinics in black communities were frequently under-resourced and inadequate.

• Employment

  • Job Limitations: Confined black individuals to low-skilled jobs.
  • Migrant Labour System: Enforced strict travel regulations, hindering professional advancement.

Economic Policies

• Job Reservation: The Job Reservation policies assured that specific jobs were exclusive to white individuals, severely constraining career opportunities for black South Africans.

• Labour Migration Systems: The apartheid government tightly managed the movement of black people into cities. Industries relied significantly on black labour, yet mobility was severely restricted, creating a paradoxical dependency.

• Economic Restrictions: Black entrepreneurs faced stringent limitations. These economic barriers rendered it exceptionally difficult for black-owned enterprises to sustain or expand.

Impact of Bantustans

• Economic Isolation: Bantustans, or "homelands," were structured to economically segregate black communities, separating them from South Africa's primary economy.

Overview of Resistance to Apartheid

Resistance against apartheid in South Africa comprised diverse movements focused on dismantling the oppressive regime and achieving equality. Each contributed significantly to eventual reforms.

Black Consciousness Movement (BCM)

• Origins: The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) developed in the late 1960s, emphasising empowerment of Black South Africans through pride and awareness.
• Steve Biko's Leadership:
  • Biko motivated youth through speeches and writings.
  • His philosophy highlighted self-reliance and mental emancipation.

Soweto Uprising (1976)

• Context & Causes:
  • The uprising arose due to oppressive educational mandates, notably the compulsory use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction, which was culturally inappropriate.

• Key Events:
  • 16 June 1976: Student demonstrations erupted in Soweto in opposition to Bantu Education policies.

International Pressure

• Economic and Cultural Boycotts:
  • Boycotts resulted in South Africa's global economic isolation, affecting trade and cultural interactions.
• Examples and Influences:
  • Prominent leaders like Nelson Mandela advocated intensely for these efforts.

Partial Reforms

P.W. Botha's Limited Reforms

• Tricameral Parliament: Introduced by P.W. Botha in the 1980s to establish separate legislative bodies for Whites, Coloureds, and Indians, effectively excluding Black South Africans.

State of Emergency

Imposition and Impact

• Reasons for State of Emergency:
  • Escalated anti-apartheid mobilisation prompted the state to enact restrictive measures for control.
• Impact:
  • Enhanced repression of protests with greater authority for security services, resulting in documented incidents of arrest and violence.

Mass Resistance Movements

• United Democratic Front (UDF):
  • Pivotal in coordinating resistance, bringing together groups across anti-apartheid platforms, epitomised by protests such as the 1984 campaigns.

Negotiation Transition

Early Negotiation Efforts

• Foundation for Negotiations:
  • Initial steps towards dialogue and negotiation aimed at easing tensions, setting the stage for future policy changes.